This is a hard book to review. In some ways it has earned 4 stars and in others 1. I also know the primary author, but that will have no bearing on what I post here.
The good includes how broad it is. There are chapters on herbalism, alchemy, greek fire, smoke powder and fire arms, and artificial life. The examples include a lof of text in their creation and use. The character options are not mechanically explained (i.e. they are not class write ups), but are interesting enough to encourage DMs to do so on their own. Or at least use them in game as is.
The okay is mostly related to the art. It looks like a alchemy text from the 1600's printed with modern technology. You may like or not. There are a few typos here and there, but nothing egregious. The layout is very much within the OSR ethos, which may or may not be to one's liking. It is not a pretty book, but it isn't hideous either.
The bad is how thin it is. Unlike The Compleat Alchemist, an obvious inspiration, there are rather few examples of herbal concoctions and alchemical creations (between 1/5th and 1/4th compared with the older work). The automatons are the same ones in The Compleat Alchemist, just with much more in depth descriptions on how they are made. The lack of information on how alchemists can make Philosopher's Stones and other alchemical items in the core rules is disappointing.
As someone who has a lot of rpg material on alchemy, herbalism and artifical life, this book is second tier at best. For someone who wants an OSR source and doesn't have a broad library of such subjects, it should be much more useful.
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